Once, the Cobra Kai season 5 release date hits, Netflix is kicking things into high gear. The hit Netflix series returns this week with more action, more conflicts and more high-stakes karate matches.
Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and their students are teaming up to take on Terry Silver and the growing Cobra Kai dojo franchise. They'll also face Karate Kid Part III's villain, karate bad boy Mike Barnes.
Cobra Kai is one of the best Netflix shows and among the streamer's most popular series. A sequel to the Karate Kid movies, it follows former rivals Johnny and Daniel as adults some 30 years later. They came into conflict again when Johnny re-opened his old Cobra Kai dojo to teach a new generation of students. Daniel restarted Miyagi-do in response, and their pupils clashed on the mat and at school.
In season 4, Johnny and Daniel put aside their feud to join forces against John Kreese and Terry Silver, who had taken over Cobra Kai. They made a deal — if Johnny and Daniel's students win the tournament, Kreese and Silver will leave the Valley for good. But when Cobra Kai prevailed, and Kreese was sent to jail, Daniel made a surprising decision about the future of Miyagi-do.
Season 5 sees Silver expanding Cobra Kai across the Valley, with Daniel and Johnny determined to stop him.
Here's what you need to watch Cobra Kai season 5 on Netflix.
When does Cobra Kai season 5 come out on Netflix?
Cobra Kai season 5 premieres Friday, Sept. 9 at 3 a.m. ET on Netflix.
Season 5 consists of 10 episodes, all of which will drop at the same time.
Cobra Kai season 5 trailer
The full-length Cobra Kai season 5 trailer dials up the drama and action to 11. As Daniel notes, Terry Silver is expanding his dojo franchise across the valley. Johnny has quit as a sensei, so it's up to Daniel and Chozen to stop the madness. Meanwhile, the conflicts among the younger generation are as heated as ever, including between Miguel and Robby.
Cobra Kai season 5 cast
While the cast of Cobra Kai season 5 isn't totally confirmed yet, but it looks like all the major cast members are returning.
Naturally, that list is led by William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence and Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso.
They'll be joined by Thomas Ian Griffith as new Cobra Kai boss Terry Silver. Daniel will be teaming up with one-time enemy Chozen, once again played by Yuji Okumoto. Season 5 is also bringing back Sean Kanan as Mike Barnes, an antagonist in Karate Kid Part III.
We'll almost certainly see Courtney Henggeler as Amanda LaRusso (Daniel's wife) and Vanessa Rubio's Carmen Diaz (Miguel's mother).
Cobra Kai also looks to be bringing back most of the students of the three dojos, with the trailer confirming the return of:
- Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz
- Mary Mouser as Samantha LaRusso, Daniel's daughter
- Tanner Buchanan as Robby Keene, Johnny's son
- Peyton List as Tory Nichols
It's likely that the other major students will be returning as well, including:
- Jacob Bertrand as Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz
- Gianni Decenzo as Demetri Alexopoulos
- Dallas Dupree Young as Kenny Payne
- Oona O'Brien as Devon Lee
- Griffin Santopietro as Anthony LaRusso, Daniel's son
The late Pat Morita also appears in the trailer, in the form of a Karate Kid III flashback, which suggests more archive footage of Daniel's mentor.
Could we end up seeing anyone else? The series has now drawn past characters from three of the Karate Kid movies — which gives fans hope of seeing Hilary Swank reprise her role as Julie Pierce from The Next Karate Kid.
Co-creator Jon Hurwitz was very cagey about the subject in an interview with Fandom.
"All we can say about her is we love Hilary Swank. We think she's a phenomenal actress and we love her character in this franchise," he said. "She was taught by Mr. Miyagi and she's somebody who is important to the Karate Kid universe. We can't say if she'll return, we can't say how she'd return if she was going to return.
"We can say that we talk about her and maybe we've met her, maybe we've worked with her, maybe we haven't. We can't tell you anything! It's gonna continue to be a question until either she shows up or the series ends and we welcome the question every time!"
Is Cobra Kai season 5 the final season?
While Netflix hasn't officially ordered Cobra Kai season 6, we think it's a safe bet to assume it'll happen.
And the show's creators already have plans for more installments. "We have more beyond Season 5. We are not writing to the end of the series in Season 5 right now," Josh Heald told Screenrant.
Next: Here's how to watch Rick and Morty season 6 episode 2 online.
